TIP OF THE WEEK

There are many factors that influence when a child reaches certain developmental milestones. Use this timeline to know what to expect in the first year.

While every mother has an unbreakable bond with her child, some parent-child relationships are stronger than others. And, as it turns out, 2 in 5 children grow up lacking secure attachment to their parents, according to a recent review of more than 100 studies and 14,000 children. These children are more likely to do poorly in school and suffer from depression than children who are securely attached to their parents.

The easiest way to form a secure attachment from the get-go? Hold your newborn skin-to-skin, advises Susan M. Ludington, R.N., Ph.D., executive director of the United States Institute for Kangaroo Care. “Infancy sets up your interactions with your baby for the rest of her life,” she says.

Bonus: Skin-to-skin contact does a lot more than promote bonding. Check out these nine benefits of kangaroo care.

It Helps Baby Adapt

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“Thermal regulation is a very common problem with infants, especially preterm babies,” says Malika D. Shah, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics and neonatology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. After all, when your baby was in the womb, she didn’t need to regulate her own temperature. Since your skin is the same temperature as the womb, Baby will find it easier to adapt to her post-birth environment.